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ZH

Later sounds

ZH Sound

Make a SH sound, keep everything exactly where it is, and turn the voice on. Lips stay rounded, tongue stays pulled back.

Sound
/ʒ/
Typical age
By age 5
Voicing
Voiced
Type
Postalveolar fricative
Words here
17

How to elicit ZH Sound

Ways to help the child make the sound on its own, before practicing it in words.

Placement, step by step

Where the lips, tongue and teeth go.

  1. 1Make a SH and hold it - tongue pulled back, lips rounded.
  2. 2Without moving anything, turn the voice on.
  3. 3Keep the buzz going.

Elicitation strategies

Tips to help a child say this sound. Most need more than one.

Auditory

  • The buzzing middle of "measure" or "treasure", held long.
  • Contrast with /sh/, which is the same sound without voice.
  • Contrast with /j/ (which starts with a stop) if they are adding one.

Visual

  • The lips push forward, as with /sh/ — that much is visible.
  • Everything else is hidden.
  • Watch the lips stay forward for the whole sound, not just the start.

Gestural

  • The upright finger at your lips as for /sh/, with your other hand on your throat.
  • Hold both for the length of the sound — it is long, not a burst.
  • No chop at the start: keep the hand still or it becomes /j/.
  • Let them hold their own throat while you make the lip sign.

Tactile

  • Fingers on the throat — the buzz is the only thing separating it from /sh/.
  • Hold a long /sh/ and switch the voice on without moving anything.
  • Hand at the lips for the forward round.
How to teach any soundThe practice ladder, shaping from a sound they have, and what to do when it stallsShow

The practice ladder

Speech practice climbs. Each step is harder than the one below it, and the jump that trips most people up is the one from single words to real talking. Work at the step where the child is right now - not the one you wish they were on.

  1. 1

    Just the sound

    “zhzhzhzh”

    The sound on its own, with no word attached. If the child cannot make it here yet, this is the whole job for now.

  2. 2

    The sound in syllables

    “zha, zho, zhee”

    The sound glued to a vowel. Nonsense syllables are useful precisely because they carry no meaning - nothing to get in the way.

  3. 3

    Words that start with it

    “sun, soap, sock”

    The easiest place in a word, because the child gets to set up their mouth before they begin.

  4. 4

    Words with it anywhere

    “measure, beige”

    Middle and end are harder - the sound has to be produced while the rest of the word is already moving.

  5. 5

    Short phrases

    “a measuring cup”

    Two or three words together. This is the first step where the child has to think about something other than the sound.

  6. 6

    Whole sentences

    “We found hidden treasure in the garage.”

    A full sentence of their own. Expect the sound to slip here even though it was perfect in single words - that is normal, not backwards.

  7. 7

    Reading and telling

    “a paragraph, a story about their day”

    Longer stretches of talking, with the sound coming up over and over. Reading aloud is useful because the words are already chosen.

  8. 8

    All the time

    “in the car, at dinner, with friends”

    Real conversation with nobody reminding them. This is the goal, and the only step that actually counts as finished.

Two rules. Do not skip a step because the child is bored - go back one instead. And if the sound falls apart when you move up, that is information, not failure: drop down a rung, get a few easy wins, and try again in a day or two.

Start with a sound they already know

  • /sh/
  • /j/

From /sh/, turn the voice on and move nothing else — nearly always the fastest way in. From /j/, hold the sound open instead of stopping it first.

If it is not working

If a sound has not responded to several weeks of consistent work, stop and reconsider the target rather than drilling harder. There could be structural reasons a sound will not stabilize, and those need looking at before more practice will help.

Where this guidance comes from

Print it

ZH Sound word list17 words, sorted by position · PDFZH Sound picture cards17 cards, 6 per page · PDFZH Sound practice packBingo board, week log, sticker chart · PDF

Free to print, copy and share. No account needed.

Note

/ʒ/ almost never begins an English word - the few examples are loan words such as "genre." Practice medial and final positions first.

Medial ZH

13 words

The sound is in the middle of the word.

2 Syllables3 words

  • measure
  • treasure
  • Asia

3 Syllables4 words

  • measurement
  • treasure chest
  • usual
  • treasure map

4 Syllables4 words

  • usually
  • television
  • unusual
  • measuring cup

5 Syllables2 words

  • television show
  • unusually

High-frequency medial ZH words

Some of these also sit in the lists above, and none of them are picture-card words - which is exactly why most lists leave them out. They are the words the child already says hundreds of times a day — so they carry more carryover value than any noun on this page. Target them in conversation, not in drill.

  • usually

Final ZH

4 words

The sound is at the end of the word.

1 Syllable1 words

  • beige

2 Syllables2 words

  • garage
  • collage

3 Syllables1 words

  • camouflage

Phrases, sentences and reading

Using the sound in longer stretches of talking, once single words are easy.

Phrases 10

Most of these carry two targets, so each one is two chances to practice.

  • a measuring cup
  • hidden treasure
  • my usual seat
  • a garage door
  • watch television
  • with pleasure
  • an unusual decision
  • casual clothes
  • a beige collage
  • an explosion of color

Sentences 10

  1. 1.We found hidden treasure in the garage.
  2. 2.Use the measuring cup, not the spoon.
  3. 3.I sat in my usual seat and watched television.
  4. 4.That was an unusual decision.
  5. 5.She wore casual beige clothes to the beach.
  6. 6.The garage door closed with a crash.
  7. 7.It is a pleasure to measure things carefully.
  8. 8.The collage was an explosion of color.
  9. 9.Usually we make that decision together.
  10. 10.The television show was about buried treasure.

Reading passage

Treasure in the Garage

On an unusual Thursday, Jo decided to measure the old garage. She usually left it alone, but this time she opened the garage door and found a beige box of hidden treasure: photographs, measuring tapes and a collage her mother had made. It was a pleasure to look through. Jo made the decision to hang the collage above the television.

Phonological awareness

Hearing and playing with the sounds inside words — the listening skill that reading is built on.

2

Syllable counting and blending

Clap or tap once per syllable. To blend, say the parts with a gap and let the child put the word back together.

  • beige1
  • measure2
  • measurement3
  • usually4
  • television show5
  • treasure2
  • treasure chest3
  • television4
3

Sound blending

You say the separate sounds, the child says the word. Start with the two- and three-sound words.

  • /b/ /ay/ /zh/beige
4

Sound segmenting

The reverse, and the harder one. You say the word, the child breaks it into its separate sounds.

  • beige/b/ /ay/ /zh/

Generalization

Word lists get a sound into a child’s mouth. Generalization is what gets it into their life. These are activities where the target words come up on their own, so nobody has to be talked into practicing.

Play-based ideas for young children

Treasure hunt

Hide "treasure" around the room and find it together. Measure how far away each piece is with a ruler or your feet.

Words that come up

treasure, measure, garage, beige, usual, pleasure, television, vision, casual, decision

Garage and cars

Park cars in a pretend garage. Measure which one is longest, then decide where each goes.

Words that come up

garage, measure, decision, usually, treasure, casual, television, collision, explosion, vision

Conversation and verbal games for older kids

  • Decision of the day

    Talk through a decision you made and why. "Decision," "usually," "measure" and "pleasure" are the whole target set - ZH is rare, so a topic that naturally brings these words up is worth more than any word list.

    Words that come up

    decision, division, confusion, usually, measure, pleasure, treasure, casual, visual, unusual, occasion, garage

  • Television review

    Review a show. "Television," "vision," "usually" and "casual" all appear naturally.

    Words that come up

    television, vision, version, usually, measure, pleasure, casual, visual, unusual, collision, explosion, garage

Play it

Each game opens with ZH Sound selected. Choose a word position before playing. Score every production with Yes! or Not quite and a percentage appears at the bottom. Nothing is sent anywhere, and nothing is saved beyond this browser.